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Revs sign Andy Marte, former big leaguer, and starter Chris Cody

By JIM SEIPDaily Record/Sunday News

Updated:
01/25/2013 08:11:02 PM EST

If anyone wondered if the York Revolution would welcome back third baseman Ramon Castro after the one-time playoff hero was suspended and released by the club during last season's playoff push, the Revs' first player singings of 2013 provided an emphatic answer:

The Revs are going in a new direction.

York signed former big league third baseman Andy Marte and re-signed left-handed starter Chris Cody on Friday, the club's first roster moves under new manager Mark Mason.

Marte was considered one of the best prospects in the game by more than one publication for several years. (Baseball Prospectus ranked him the minors' top prospect in 2005, while Baseball America listed him as the Braves' No. 1 prospect in 2004 and the Red Sox's No. 1 prospect in 2006.)

The Braves traded Marte to Boston for Edgar Renteria, and just a few weeks later Boston packaged him in a deal to Cleveland that included Coco Crisp.

A 20-homers/25-doubles type of hitter in the higher levels of the minors, Marte struggled to adjust to big league pitching. He spent parts of six seasons (2005-2010) in the majors, never earning more than 235 at-bats during a single season. Baseball Prospectus called him "a forgotten man" three years ago. His .218 career batting average in the big leagues and the fact that he didn't play for an organization last season could scare off major league teams. But his .271 career minor league batting average - and a willingness to earn another shot with a big league club - could mean Marte is primed for a big season in the Atlantic League.

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"He's only 29 years old," Revs baseball operations manager Andrew Ball said. "And he said to us, he still wants to play in the big leagues."

The Revs' front office first eyed Marte before the start of last season, notified of his availability by third base coach Enohel Polanco. The Revs didn't pursue Marte at the time because they had already signed Castro, and they knew acquiring a work visa for Marte (a Dominican native) could take months. This could also explain why no other Atlantic League club picked up Marte last season, even though he plays a position that is one of the most difficult to fill for independent clubs.

Marte batted just .202 in 97 games for Triple-A Indianapolis in 2011. Out of affiliated baseball, and unable to land a gig in independent baseball last season, Marte played in the Dominican summer league.

"It's not a 'high-caliber' league," Revs baseball operations manager Andrew Ball said, "but they had several former major leaguers playing in the league last season."

The Marte signing could be key, because the Revs front office suspected they might have to replace the entire infield they used in the playoffs. Johan Limonta, Andres Perez, Joe Thurston and Chris Nowak all played well enough to earn invitations to spring training. And Mason has confirmed Perez has already signed with a club in Mexico.

Now the club has an anchor at third.

Cody, meanwhile, returns after a 10-14 season with a 4.38 ERA.

"I think Chris is still one of the best 25 starters in the league, and I think he's young enough (29) and talented enough to return to an organization," Ball said.

Cody earned a minor league deal from the Braves in 2011 after starting the year in York. He showed flashes of brilliance at the end of May: In three straight starts he allowed just one run while lasting at least six innings.

"If he has the type of performance that he had at the beginning of last year, I think he has a chance of getting signed again," Ball said.

Note: The Dodgers signed former Revs left-handed pitcher Victor Garate. Garate appeared in one game, allowing four hits in 1Ò innings last season. Expected to eventually transition into a starter for the Revs, the former big leaguer left the club for personal reasons after making just one relief appearance.

He is the fifth Revs player from the 2012 season to sign with a major league organization this offseason, joining Mike Benacka (Blue Jays), Michael Hernandez (Tigers), Shawn Hill (Tigers) and Ryan Feierabend (Rangers).